“After I submitted it and had the New York editor say it was the best tie-in novel he’d ever read, the licensing person at DreamWorks required me to cut everything in the novel that wasn’t in the script. That I was the creator of the property held no sway. I was made to butcher the book down to 40,000 words.”

And both my kids love Asoka, the girl Jedi who acts as Anakin’s protege and foil. And you know what? I love her too — she’s a great character, the teenage girl who seems to be the only person in the galaxy who doesn’t seem that impressed with Anakin Skywalker. She gets a lot of screen time, she’s a girl of action, she’s smart and funny and she doesn’t take shit from anyone, much less Anakin. (Okay, she’s stuck holding the baby for a stretch, but credit where credit is due — she’s a huge improvement over the whining, helpless Padme of Sith.)

“As of today, I can’t point to any given space like this. I think we’re pretty unique in what we do and I am a little surprised that no one caught up yet. I guess having done this so many times I’m aware that people are moved by it and that’s the driving element that keeps me consistent. But even without that I think I would’ve continued to explore, because there’s a natural evolution in the art form and I think space is just so inherent in life today. I mean, it’s a major element in humanity, we’re spacial species and its inevitable we’re going to move in that direction. “